The magic of Monza: Five memorable Italian Grands Prix

Jonathan Victoria • 04 Sep 2025 Features

The temple of speed: where speed meets chaos…

Few races on the Formula 1 calendar ignite passion quite like the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. It’s a temple of speed where tifosi flood the grandstands in red, title battles twist unexpectedly, and the slipstream can make or break a weekend. 

From emotional home victories to seismic upsets, Monza has seen it all. As the 2025 edition approaches, we’re looking back at five unforgettable Grands Prix that helped make this legendary track the beating heart of Formula 1.

1971 – Five cars, one major sprint finish

In the slipstream-heavy chaos of pre-chicane Monza, the 1971 Grand Prix delivered the closest finish in Formula 1 history. 

Peter Gethin won his first and only race by just 0.01 seconds from Ronnie Peterson, with the top five cars crossing the line within 0.61 seconds. There were 25 lead changes in total, and the entire race felt like a high-speed game of chicken with no room for hesitation. 

Gethin wasn’t even supposed to win—but Monza doesn’t do predictable. It was wild, fearless, and the kind of finish modern F1 can only dream of.

1988 – Ferrari’s farewell to Enzo

Just a month after the death of Enzo Ferrari, the Scuderia delivered an emotional sucker punch to McLaren’s otherwise perfect season. 

While Senna looked set for victory, a late-race collision with Jean-Louis Schlesser allowed Ferrari’s Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto to cruise to a 1–2 in front of an ecstatic home crowd. 

It was the only race in 1988 that McLaren didn’t win - poetic justice served in red. As Berger stood atop the podium, the fans erupted with a mixture of pride and grief. 

In the wake of their founder’s passing, Ferrari had written their own Hollywood ending.

1996 – Schumacher delivers a dream in red

Michael Schumacher’s first season with Ferrari was a mixed bag, but Monza provided its most stirring moment. 

With the tifosi watching through flares and flags, Schumacher claimed a dominant home victory - the team’s first at Monza in eight years. It was a statement drive, showing that Ferrari’s championship drought might soon be over. 

More importantly, it cemented Schumacher’s bond with the Italian faithful, who roared louder than ever as he stood on the top step. This was the day Ferrari fans truly fell in love with their new number one.

2008 – Vettel’s wet-weather wonder

In one of the biggest upsets in modern F1 history, 21-year-old Sebastian Vettel stunned the grid by taking pole and victory in torrential conditions - driving for Toro Rosso, no less, a permanent midfield side then like they are still now. 

It was the team’s first and only win, although most people will say they have two wins, as 13 years later as Pierre Gasly claimed his only F1 victory to date while with the rebranded Scuderia AlphaTauri. Funnily enough, that win also came at Monza!

The win in 2008 made Vettel the youngest Grand Prix winner at the time. He controlled the race from start to finish like a seasoned pro, not a midfield rookie. His victory catapulted him into the spotlight and laid the foundation for a future world champion. 

In the rain at Monza, a star was born.

2021 – When contenders collide, and chaos reigns again

Let’s give this one some meat, shall we?

The 2021 Italian Grand Prix was the kind of carnage-laced chaos that only Monza can deliver. 

With the race already heating up, lap 26 proved to be the boiling over point. A slow pit stop for Lewis Hamilton and a disastrously long one for Max Verstappen the lap before brought the two title rivals out side by side on Lap 26 - neither willing to yield. 

Heading into the tight Turn 1–2 chicane with Hamilton just ahead, Verstappen attempted to go around the outside, launching off the sausage kerb and ending up on top of Hamilton’s car in a shocking, slow-motion collision. 

Both were out, both blamed the other, and the incident - following their controversial clash at Silverstone - further supercharged the most heated title battle in years.

But the madness wasn’t over.

Up front, Daniel Ricciardo had taken the lead at the race restart and never looked back, fending off Sergio Pérez and later teammate Lando Norris. 

With Verstappen and Hamilton gone, McLaren seized the moment: Ricciardo took victory, slamming in the fastest lap for good measure, while Norris came home second, securing the team’s first 1–2 finish since 2010, and their first win in almost as long. 

The paddock erupted, Ricciardo finally got to do one last shoey, and in one breathless Sunday afternoon, Monza delivered both championship-defining drama and a fairytale revival story.